英语论文代写 The Use Of Forced Isolation In Novels
We begin life as a child who is given a name and that becomes our identity. Throughout our life we will be isolated at least once forcefully or by free will, during this time we can fee alienated, and this can cause our human body experience regression and despair. In Franz Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis, and in Kobo Abe’s, The Woman in the Dunes, both of these novels’ authors have utilized the effects forced isolation and isolation to portray the negative and positive effects towards the protagonists’ loss of identity.
To begin with, in The Woman in the Dunes, Nikki Junpei was forcefully placed in an isolated area. He was alienated not only from the world but from himself as well. In the beginning, Junpei had a life that consisted of creating his identity or make a new and exciting discovery to provide his life with meaning. “[…] that of discovering a new type. When this happens, the discoverers’ name appears in the illustrated encyclopedias of entomology….His efforts are crowned with success is his name is perpetuated in the memory of his fellow men by being associated with an insect. (Abe 10)” Now that he is in a new habitat with nothing but sand, his ability to give his life meaning is a lot more difficult or impossible. Because he could no longer “make” his identity, being put into such an alienated area, he loses his identity. From this alienation all his life’s work and meaning is reduced to nothing. All his work to become a renowned scientist has now failed and he continues to fail until he struggles in the end for a true identity.
In resemblance, Kafka also shows the protagonist’s distant connection to the world with the use of withdrawal. First of all, Gregor only seems to pay attention to the fact that he is not maneuver go to work. As he is does this, he states, “What a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen. Travelling day in and day out. (2).” From this we see that Gregor’s isolation is the reason for his social withdrawal, and since he is considered the primary caretaker of his family. With this responsibility he isolates himself from everyone including his family to focus on his job. Unlike Junpei in The Woman in the Dunes, Gregor does in fact have an identity, but it is not completely his identity. Gregor’s identity is actually based upon his family’s expectations. In the novel it is also stated that when Gregor arrives home, he goes straight to his room, and locks his door. With this usual procedure of locking the door it also shows his distant connection from society thus resulting in his identity loss because he is not aware of himself as being an individual, but just another among the masses. He no longer has goals or expectations to live up to, leaving him with no identity.
In a state of isolation one may also fall into regression or a different mindset of thinking and feeling. As soon as you are isolated, you feel as if there is no need to be part of society, since you have reverted to a different mindset you are to apply yourself to the new isolated region. Since Gregor is forced to stay in his room to spare his family the burden he holds, as time passes he continues to stay in his room and feels the want to stay instead of leaving. From this it makes him lose his identity because he feels that there is no point in leaving the room.
Throughout Abe’s novel, the protagonist also reverts back to a different mindset. Throughout the whole story, he is desperately trying to get out of the hole. But in the end he refrains from escaping. As he finally sees the outside world, he states that the fresh air “irritated his throat and, did not taste as he had expected” (238-239). He also sees the sky and ocean as the same “dirty yellow” as the sand. Noticing that his own shadow refuses to leave the pit, he decides that “There was no particular need to hurry about escaping” (239), and that he is perfectly comfortable to stay where he is. From this we can see that Junpei has accepted this new habitat and will adapt to it. He no longer wants or needs to revert to an earlier mindset.
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